Q: It was reported that recently Taiwan’s “Fu Yang 266” fishing boat and “Fu Shen” fishing boat were detained by Japanese official vessels for violating fishing regulations. They were then released after paying the fines. The Taiwan authorities believe the vessels did violate Japan’s fishing regulations. What is China’s comment on this?

A: The Chinese government attaches great importance to safeguarding the lawful interests of Chinese fishermen, including those from the Taiwan region. According to the China-Japan Fisheries Agreement, Japan has no right to take enforcement measures against Chinese fishing vessels in relevant waters. China has protested over this, asking the Japanese side to immediately correct the wrongdoing, and take effective measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again.